All of a sudden, Hanford in the spotlight
The mainstream media of the Pacific Northwest are all over the Hanford nuke waste debacle these days. Nothing wrong with that -- a new generation of Portlanders should learn the fact that they're living downstream from one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the world. And it's not just the radioactivity -- the slop that's oozing through the ground up there, right next to the Columbia River, is toxic as all get-out for other reasons as well. Even if it weren't atomically "hot," it would be one of the world's nastiest dumpsites.
But what sticks in our craw is the fact that all of the attention is being carefully orchestrated by Bechtel and its subcontractors (including the sweethearts at CH2M Hill), who burn through about $2 billion a year of federal funds in their largely futile "cleanup" efforts. They're afraid that the federal sequester and related austerity measures may cut into their gravy flow. And so they get useful idiots like Sen. Ron Wyden (R-N.Y.) to make noise, and the youngsters in the journalism corps eat it up.
Hanford will never be "cleaned up." Not for 10,000 years. It's a national sacrifice zone. The most important task for us who live in the region is to ensure that it doesn't become even more of a dump, taking on nuclear waste from other parts of the country, and the world. That's an ongoing battle, although not much is written about it. The same Bechtel guys who are scaring you now would love to have even more garbage to push around at Hanford. Curbing their enthusiasm through budget cuts may not be such a bad thing.
| Posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (5)
There are no "new" developments here. Been leaking for years and "boiling" off.
They just keep adding water since they don't even know what is in them, and hope for the best.
You are right this site will never be cured no matter what is done or how many public / private dollars are spent.
What is the hit to property values and capital once the leaks trickle into the Columbia and flow on by?
Posted by mark | March 18, 2013 12:04 PM
If that happens or has happened and the news becomes obvious - devastating!!
Better to put under cover and head in sand?
Posted by clinamen | March 18, 2013 12:29 PM
In the middle ‘40s, Stewart Holbrook often wrote to his friends at the Algonquin Round Table. He once said they shouldn’t consider coming to Portland because “it was downwind from Hanford and everybody knows that radioactivity causes sterility in men”. The James G Blaine Society was probably an outgrowth of similar thinking.
Posted by David E Gilmore | March 18, 2013 12:31 PM
There's hope: Maybe the earthquake will get us first.
Posted by Allan L. | March 18, 2013 12:55 PM
Jack:
A few years ago I saw a show on OPB about a science guy who went for a boat/float ride. His guide put in above Hanford and the scientist was equipped with a simple geiger counter that emitted sound when exposed to radiation.
As the boat floated downstream toward Hanford, the science guy lowered the geiger counter into the water and it started to buzz loudly. They floated another half mile to a mile downstream below Hanford before the sound stopped. My conclusion was that eventually that radiation will reach the Pacific Ocean and all sea life along the coast will become toxic. So enjoy your crabs, clams and oysters now before they glow in the dark. The current "clean up" isn't working, so what next?
Posted by Old Curmudgeon | March 18, 2013 1:08 PM